The fear of the coronavirus has also triggered sales of masks and disinfectant gels in Lanzarote pharmacies, where these products are practically sold out and arrive "in dribs and drabs", despite the fact that no case has been registered on the island so far. "People are quite alarmed," they pointed out from the Los Robles Pharmacy, located on the Rambla Medular in Arrecife.
In fact, this establishment did not have masks or gel this Tuesday. "We called the cooperatives that supply us and from the beginning, without even speaking to a physical person, a robot comes out that tells you that if you call about that issue there is nothing, that they will let us know," they say from this pharmacy.
Thus, they affirm that they have been "two or three weeks" without receiving masks. "And gel arrived last week but only two units," they point out from the pharmacy, from where they explain that they have had to create a waiting list due to the high demand. "The truth is that there are many people who are coming, especially people who have other pathologies such as asthma and are going to travel to the Peninsula and want to take them," they detail.
In addition, with respect to masks, they assure that they were already "out of stock" even before the coronavirus arrived in Spain. "Because the Chinese were already coming to buy them here to send them there, because they already had them sold out there. That at least has happened in our pharmacy," they indicate.
"People are surprised that they are sold out"
"The sale of masks and alcohol gel has increased greatly in recent weeks. I can't tell you the exact amount, but we have sold quite a bit, and now they are sold out," they point out from the Don Rogelio pharmacy, located on Calle Real in Arrecife. "It is seen that people are worried, although they don't show anything. They only ask for masks and alcohol and are surprised that they are sold out," they add.
"On Saturday we received a supply of gels, but yesterday everything was already sold. It's in dribs and drabs. And we haven't received any masks since Carnival Tuesday," they say from the La Destila Pharmacy, from where they affirm that among the applicants "there are many Chinese, people from here and also some Italians."
The situation in tourist areas of the island
The situation is repeated in pharmacies in other parts of the island, such as the tourist areas of Puerto del Carmen and Costa Teguise. "It's chaos. Many people come asking for masks, especially foreigners, both European and Asian," they point out from the Los Arcos Pharmacy in Puerto del Carmen, where they affirm that they received masks this Tuesday, but that "gels are sold out."
"We have everything sold out," they also say from the pharmacy located in the Pueblo Marinero of Costa Teguise, from where they also affirm "that they are products that they don't usually work with much." "And with the demand that there has been, we have been asking, but they run out immediately," they point out.
